How To Help

Often, kind people are interested in how they can help out during an AT thru-hike. For these offers of generosity, I am endlessly grateful. Many people have already offered places to stay, showers, to give me rides, to buy me a beer, intentions to hike with me, and other acts of kindness along the trail. I am very excited that these kind friends will be apart of my journey. I’ll do my best to recognize everyone that helps me along the way in my journal entries.

The single greatest act that someone can do to help me during my hike is to contribute any amount to my efforts to raise money for the restoration of the Shuckstack lookout tower on the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I am hoping that those interested in my thru-hike will be willing to contribute $21.78, or one penny for every mile that I hike. I ultimately wish to raise $2,178, a dollar for each mile hiked for this project. To find out more about the project and help out, visit my Save Shuckstack website. In generosity I receive along the trail, I’ll recognize everyone who helps me with this project so dear to me.

Many may wish to meet me along the trail to hike with me or help me. Below is a rough list of my estimated arrival time for locations along the trail. If you would like to meet up with me, it may be a good idea to send me an email or send me a text message (704-941-9296) in advance to coordinate this. The itinerary below not only is a rough estimate, but will likely fluctuate with greater uncertainty the futher along that I get into my hike. I will have limited ability to update dates on this list during my trip, rather my journal entries and map should be used as better indicators of my progress and location. Do keep in mind, however, that my journals will be posted at a delay of about a week each due to the time elapsed between mailing and transcribing.

Others may wish to send a letter or package for me along the way. The list below also includes locations of post offices where I will be stopping along my hike and able to receive physical mail. It may be easier to simple mail letters or items to my wife at home, who can then include them in packages or drop boxes that I will receive periodically along the way. In fact, I will not be receiving mail during the first five weeks of my hike since my wife will be bringing me resupply boxes in person on the weekends. For send me physical mail beyond this time period, the addresses are listed below. Please also contact me by email or text message well in advance of sending items; I will have to request these items being held for me at post offices. If I do not know they are being sent, I will not know to ask for them and thus will ultimately not receive them.

While it may sound trivial, something that people can do to help me is to acquire and send me a certain food item of which I particularly enjoy. I am addicted to “Chick-fil-a Sauce”, which is a new condiment being distributed only at Chick-Fil-A fast food restaurants. I uses these sauces in tortillas for lunch and snacks as well in my cooked meals at dinner. I love it. These sauces, which come is small packets, aren’t easily acquired since they keep them behind the counter and are available only upon request. Since I was only able to obtain an amount good for only a few weeks worth prior to my departure, if anyone is able to acquire a handful of these packets, I would be especially appreciative. These should be mailed to my wife at the address contained in the information below, where she will ration them per my needs and sent them to me at points along the trail.

Peter’s Loose Itinerary & Mail Drops

Home Address:

Allison Barr
2145 Redwood Dr.
Indian Trail, NC 28079

If you wish to send me items at any of the below locations, please address them to my wife and home address listed directly above . I will not be visiting the post offices in these locations, rather my wife will be visiting me and bring me resupply items and any mail that she is sent on my behalf.

Walasi-Yi Inn at Neels Gap, GA
ETA March 25, 2010

Dicks Creek Gap, Hiawassee, GA
ETA March 27, 2010

Winding Stair Gap, Franklin, NC
ETA March 31, 2010

Nantahala Outdoor Center, NC
ETA April 2, 2010

Fontana Dam, NC
ETA March 5, 2010

Newfound Gap, Gatlinburg, TN
ETA April 8 2010

Standing Bear Farm, I-40, NC/TN
ETA April 13, 2010

Hot Springs, NC
ETA April 15, 2010

Erwin, TN
ETA April 20, 2010

Damascus, VA
ETA April 30, 2010

The below address will be locations in which I will visit post offices (or hostels receiving mail, if indicated). You may send me mail using the specific address listed for each location. It is crucial to use this exact address and format. It is also very important to notify me by email or text message in advance of your mailing so that I may know to ask for any additional mail at these locations; otherwise, they may not be given to me by the postmaster and never received by me. If you wish to avoid this yet insist on surprising me, you may mail items to my wife at the home address listed above. She will then include these in my next resupply box mailed to me, and I will still receive them at the post office along the trail. I certainly welcome anyone to send me letters, care packages, or other items in the mail; they will be welcome surprises on my journey. Don’t know what to send? See the bottom of this page to read about one of my greatest cravings, Chick-Fil-A Sauce.

Many of these locations may actually change (such as a post office to a hostel, or change towns all together) based on my adjusting itinerary. This is why it is essential you contact me in advance if you mail to these addresses. If these locations change, I will attempt to update them on the website.

Help Me Restore the Shuckstack Lookout Tower – Donate One Penny For Every Mile I Hike – Only $21.78! – Please Click Below!

mission accomplished

On August 29, 2010, I summitted Katahdin and completed the Appalachian Trail. It is a gross understatement to say that my hike was an adventure of a lifetime. My hike far exceeded my greatest expectations, and completing it fulfills one of my wildest dreams. I will never forget the spring and summer of 2010, one truly like no other.

But my expectations were far more exceeded by the unfathomable amount of support that I received from my friends - both on and off the Trail. So many people helped me during my journey that I could never thank them adequately. And nearly 90 people donated to helping me save the Shuckstack lookout tower to raise a total of $3,200 - surpassing my initial fundraising goal by almost $1,000. While these numbers are impressive, I cannot begin to quantify the magnitude of the kindness of all those who so generously contributed.

Stay tuned for the remainder of my AT journals and all of my AT photos to be posted in the website.